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November 29, 2012

Exploring ‘gifted’ classes

Efforts are to make elementary curriculum consistent

Alan Mauldin The Moultrie Observer

MOULTRIE — The Colquitt County School system is examining a number of potential programs for the future, including expanded gifted programs and a science and technology center, but for the moment plans are centered on elementary gifted instruction.

With 10 elementary schools, the system is looking to make curriculum more consistent.

Administrative staff, along with school principals, have been discussing the issue for about a year and a half, Assistant Schools Superintendent Mo Yearta said. The next step is meeting with parents of gifted students in grades kindergarten through on Tuesday.

“With 10 different elementary schools there are 10 different ways of doing things, then they get to junior high and there’s one way of doing things,” Yearta said.

No final plans have been made, she said, as the process continues of better coordinating among the elementary schools and increasing opportunities for gifted students in grades four and five, who only are in the program one day a week. Possibilities that have been discussed included a central campus for students of the 10 schools or expansion at their current schools.

“We’re constantly looking and evaluating what’s going on in our schools and trying to improve,” Yearta said of the impetus behind examining the gifted program. “We’ve talked to the principals, now we’re going to talk to the parents.”

System-wide, there are 1,400 students in the gifted program, out of 9,500 total students. Students can be considered for it in several ways, including extremely high standardized-test scores and referrals from teachers, parents or even students themselves.

 Down the road the system is examining a number of concepts, including a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) center, magnet school and program for students who are creatively gifted in the arts as opposed to the traditional academically gifted distinction.

Those latter ideas, if they come to fruition, are years away, and, like any changes made with the gifted program, will be initiated with an eye toward keeping costs down, Superintendent Samuel DePaul said.

“We feel we have the potential to do things with existing staff,” he said of any changes to the gifted program. “Right now, the focus is on the elementary schools. I’m hoping it won’t cost us any more to do what we want to do.”

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